ATLANTA – Throughout its history, FC Cincinnati always had a knack for rising to the grandest of occasions and producing unforgettable moments for fans and followers alike.

It's clear FC Cincinnati will maintain an affinity for the big moments after Sunday's visit to play Atlanta United, the defending MLS Cup champions, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. There, FC Cincinnati penned another chapter in the club history book by authoring a 1-1 draw.

The result was the club's first at the MLS level and it came in dramatic fashion.

Trailing, 1-0, in the 86th minute, first-year Cincinnati midfielder Roland Lamah slotted home past Atlanta and U.S. men's national team goalkeeper Brad Guzan. The tally made it 1-1, silenced a standing-room-only crowd of more than 70,000, and got FC Cincinnati on the board in the MLS Eastern Conference standings with a point.

FC Cincinnati was a far cry from winning a result from the match early on, though. Reigning MVP Josef Martinez netted for the hosts in the fifth minute and ignited a raucous crowd that celebrated Atlanta's 2018 championship with a banner-unveiling.

"(Five) minutes and they score, I didn't even see the goal. I think I was still waving to fans," FC Cincinnati defender Greg Garza said. "I thought the game was going to end five or six to zero. I'm glad we were able to change it around."

A rout couldn't have been further from the case in the end.

Cincinnati not only clotted the bleeding after the wound incurred by Martinez's fifth-minute strike but grew into the game and enjoyed its most cohesive performance since the club convened preseason exercises in January.

"I don't think it (Martinez's goal) fazed us at all. It's very difficult to go on the road and play in a place like this and concede that early. Some teams would collapse," FC Cincinnati head coach Alan Koch said. "But give the guys credit tonight. They didn't collapse at all. We stayed calm. They managed the process of getting through the game and did what good teams on the road to and go grab a goal right at the end of the game."

It would be a stretch to say FC Cincinnati went toe-to-toe with the defending champs for the entire match. That would have required more offensive creativity and movement.

The field flipped in FC Cincinnati's favor over the final 20 minutes. The team enjoyed longer spells of possessions and actually knocked the ball around to each other.

"By not scoring a second goal and us not allowing them to score a second goal, kept us in the game and allowed us to make some attacking substitutions," Koch said. "We allowed ourselves that chance."

The Atlanta faithful were already on edge and Lamah's goal silenced them for the remainder of the match. FC Cincinnati hung on for the final four minutes of regulation and three minutes of stoppage time. Then the boos rained down on the hosts, who dropped points at home just six times in 2018.

"It's a great point for Cincinnati so we have to keep pushing and keep playing like (we did) in the second half today," Lamah said. "...I play in Cincinnati and I'm proud to wear the shirt."

• First things first: FC Cincinnati's performance against Atlanta was night and day compared to last week's drubbing at Seattle. Longer practice sessions and intensive video review this past week obviously proved beneficial. Regardless of whether or not FC Cincinnati found an equalizing goal late against Atlanta, Sunday was going to be regarded as a day of major progression.

That Lamah netted for 1-1 and FC Cincinnati's first-ever MLS point simply gave the team a storybook ending after an already-solid day's work. And nothing affirms in MLS like a result, particularly one against Atlanta United in its home barn.

• Widening out the lens: If FC Cincinnati is to make a playoff push in 2019, the club needs to be competitive throughout the season. That means getting results this spring in the manner it did against Atlanta United.

The time for beautiful football will come later. Right now, it's about scratching and clawing for its life.

It's not necessarily an attractive way to live as an MLS side, but it is a path through for the time being.

Cincinnati needs to accept that it will be out of possession and, at times, bunkered in on defense. It also needs to accept that offense will come, but in small doses, and their chances need to be well-taken. They weren't so interested in those principles against Seattle. Against Atlanta, Cincinnati was at peace with that game plan and executed it very well.

Expect more improvement over the next week going into the home opener.

Absent the breakdown on the Martinez goal – FC Cincinnati won't be the only team to suffer that fate this year, by the way – the defense was tidy. There were almost no scares or threatening movements by Atlanta for the rest of the first half. Cincinnati withstood a manageable amount of chances in the second half.

Starting goalkeeper Spencer Richey made three total saves and one of those was vital. He stonewalled Martinez from close range in the 56th minute. It was arguably the biggest play of the game for Cincinnati. It was also the closest Atlanta came to doubling its lead.

Along with Richey, it was the defense's response to going down 1-0 so early that truly allowed FC Cincinnati to bag its first-ever point in MLS.

As Koch noted in his post-match remarks, FC Cincinnati could have quit right then and there following the Martinez goal.

Instead, FC Cincinnati dug in at Atlanta. They managed the defensive third of the field well. Atlanta probed relentlessly but found few weak spots in the Cincinnati perimeter, and that held true through halftime and beyond.

Over the final 15-20 minutes, the offense and possession finally arrived. FC Cincinnati might have come close to splitting the possession with Atlanta. That was aided by the introduction of debutants Saief and Garza, who received a huge applause from the Atlanta fans for his time at the club.

But even before Saief and Garza, a goal for Cincinnati appeared to be coming. So convincing was Cincinnati's late flourish that both players said afterward in separate interviews that, with more time, FC Cincinnati could have beaten Atlanta.

Of course, there wasn't more time. So, they'll have to try to carry that attacking zest over to next weekend's home opener against Portland Timbers FC.

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In-match updates from earlier.

ATLANTA – Welcome to The Enquirer's and Cincinnati.com's live coverage of FC Cincinnati (0-1-0) versus Atlanta United (0-1-0). Refresh this page throughout the match (5 p.m., ESPN) for live updates and analysis from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and follow FC Cincinnati beat writer Pat Brennan for further updates on Twitter (@PBrennanENQ).

• HALFTIME: Atlanta United 1, FC Cincinnati 0 – A fifth-minute goal by Atlanta's Josef Martinez appeared to spell doom for FC Cincinnati, but then the Queen City club did something unexpected: It buckled down and rode out the final 40 minutes of the half with relative peace and quiet on the defensive side. The teams eventually went to the intermission with Atlanta leading, 1-0, despite United getting on the front foot early and igniting its standing-room-only crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The outcome of the half was manageable compared to a week earlier when FC Cincinnati conceded three times in the first half to Seattle Sounders FC. Offensively, FC Cincinnati was bereft of creativity and chances, just as it had been for weeks, but the defense showed for the first time it had the ability to buckle down and put a stop to an offensive onslaught. Alvas Powell was greatly improved after being one of the weaker links in FC Cincinnati's defense at Seattle.

Mar 10, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; FC Cincinnati forward Darren Mattocks (11) reacts fallowing the end of the match against the Atlanta United during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The final was a draw 1-1. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 10, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta United defender Jeff Larentowicz (18) goes up for a header against FC Cincinnati forward Fanendo Adi (9) during the first period at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 10, 2019; Atlanta, GA, USA; FC Cincinnati goalkeeper Spencer Richey (18) pulls down a ball against the Atlanta United during the 1st period at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports